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Forestry mulching business clears unwanted brush, trees

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Submitted by admin on Wed, 05/17/2017 - 10:58

Wille and his son, Sawyer, relocated to Guttenberg in 2015 after the death of Wille's wife, Lisa. Wille changed careers and started the new forestry mulching business, Wille Greenspace. (Photo submitted)

By Molly Moser

A new Guttenberg business is springing to life as the weather warms. Wille Greenspace uses specialized mobile tracked equipment to grind unwanted underbrush, invasive species, and trees to mulch at ground level, evenly distributed on site. The new business can quickly and affordably clear ATV, UTV or equestrian trails, fence lines, shooting lanes and field perimeters, as well as improve forest stands and wildlife habitats.

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my family cleaning up wooded property for fire wood. In recent years I see our natural woodland threatened by out-of-control invasive species introduced two decades ago,” said entrepreneur Dennis Wille, who was raised near Guttenberg. He returned to the area in 2015 with his young son, Sawyer, and is now in the business of forestry mulching.

“Forestry mulching is an environmentally effective means of clearing property with no erosion or soil disturbance,” he explained. “In most cases, Wille Greenspace can clean up problems and unwanted wooded vegetation for property owners with ease and affordability, allowing use of the property once again.”

Wille started to introduce the business and test equipment in March, and has been developing the brand and services since then – just in time for people to spend more time using and enjoying their outdoor properties.

The equipment Wille Greenspace utilizes is very unique to the area and is often confused with less effective mower decks or Bush Hog types of equipment. “The mulching head is an industry leader and utilizes a 95 horsepower multi-terrain tracked skidsteer with high flow hydraulics,” said Wille. “The head rotates 27 sharp planer knives at 2400 rotations per minute, cutting to mulch unwanted trees and underbrush in its path.” The equipment he uses can also shear small trees and remove stumps.

“Raised on a dairy farm north of Guttenberg, I learned a work ethic and preferred skills in the craft of tools and equipment maintenance,” Wille explained. Following high school, he graduated from Iowa State University and applied his skillset as a procurement grain buyer in North Dakota and Montana. Years later, he returned to ISU and retrained for a career in three-dimensional animation and graphic design.

“On Nov. 5, 2011, my wonderful wife was diagnosed with leukemia. With our seven-month-old son, Sawyer, we did the best we could and Lisa lost her fight ten months later on Aug. 25, 2012. The following days, months, and years were profoundly sorrowful and redefined emotions and words,” Wille told The Press. “In this period you change, looking for direction from above. I no longer could tolerate working behind a computer in an office and needed a reboot.”

Wille’s reboot came in the form of a return to his roots, moving from Wisconsin back to Guttenberg so his son could grow up a ‘river rat,’ just as he did. “From there it was baby steps in scouting a fit for a niche and what I feel is a business need,” said Wille.